When the body comes into contact with a new chemical, be it through the mouth, nose or skin the chemical or allergen as it's known causes the body to release antibodies. These are named histamines and are naturally produced by the body to fight the allergen. The histamine may then however go on to cause one or more of the following annoying symptoms to varying degrees of severity:
Sneezing and possibly a blocked nose, an itchy feeling in the eyes, nose or throat, watery eyes, dry coughing, a skin rash and even conjunctivitis.
Of paramount importance is finding the cause of the reactions in order to prevent future problems. This is generally done in one of three different ways:
Firstly, an intradermal test may be performed, This is when a potential allergen is injected into the top layer of the skin. If the subject is allergic then normally a tiny bubble will appear or some other irritation directly over the area.
Secondly, a simple patch test can be done. The substance being tested as the allergen is put under a plaster with direct contact with the skin. Normally 48 hours is allowed to pass by before the plaster is removed to see if their has been any inflammation or reaction.
Thirdly, a tiny drop of the potential allergen is simply dropped on to the skin to see if a reaction occurs. Within 20 mintues reactions usually occur.
If someone is found to suffer from allergies then there are fortunately several straight forward things you may do to ease the allergic reaction. Try any or all of the following simple methods to see which helps ease your symptoms:
Make your-self aware of the content of the food that you are eating. Look out for commonalities between the foods you are eating and the good and bad days that you have. Chocolate and wheat are well known to cause allergic reactions in some people.
Use an air filter which may reduce the effects of air pollutants, this is very good advice if you live in an industrial area.
Experiment by closing all the doors and windows to see if this eases things.
Home dehumidifiers can reduce the moisture in the air and therefore help reduce the spread of dust mites and other allergens. Nowadays there are specifically designed home dehumidifiers and even portable air dehumidifiers that can quickly and easily reduce humidity levels where you feel the need to do so, this will also reduce the risk of mold growth which is well known to produce allergic reactions in some people.
Frequently clean your bed sheets and maybe try a new powder to check this is not the problem.
Herbalists usually recommend Querticin which is an ingredient in garlic and onion and stifles the histamine.
Green tea extract whilst being a highly recommended drink which includes antioxidants also contain plentiful phytonutrients that prevent against cellular level attacks and bacteria.
Making sure you are getting sufficient calcium could aid some people becuase helps to equalise the acid to alkaline ratio which may lessen some peoples allergies and may also decrease the construction of the histamine.
The simple guidelines provided can save the individual all sort of unconfortableness. It also might be wise to keep a note of the days when things are good and bad and the possible reasons for this including the above factors.
If you still encounter problems then of course your doctor will be able to aid you in the prescription of appropriate medication if deemed necessary. Consult your doctor for advice as a matter of course. Prescribed medicine often takes the form of nasal sprays in order to reduce the inflammation. They could also recommend antihisthamines that can considerably lessen symptoms in many people also.
In conclusion it is definitely worth pursuing some of the simpler methods first and recording your reactions before progressing on to the use of medications. Clean air through the use of air filters and dehumidifiers and portable dehumidifiers should also be looked into as a serious option.
